Electric light fixture



Feb. 17, 1942, N. A. TORNBLOM 2,273,723

ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE Filed Dec. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 17,1942. N. A. TORNBLOM 2,273,723

ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE Filed Dec. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedFeb. 17, 1942 ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE Nils A. Tornblom, Chicago, 111.,assignor to Appleton Electric Company, a corporation of IllinoisApplication December 29; 1939, Serial No. 311,437 2. Claims. (01.240-415) The present invention has for its object to produce a simpleand novel self-contained unit containing a reflector, electric lamp andlens adapted to be detachably mounted, as a whole, in a casing. toproduce a vehicle headlight, spot-. light, road lamp or otherilluminating device.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointedout with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section on avertical plane containing the axis of the device, illustrating oneembodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showinga modification; Fig. 3 is a rear view of the light emitting anddistributing unit removed from the casing; Fig. 4 is a section on line4-4 of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig.4, showing only the lensengaging ring or bezel; Fig. 6 is a section online 6-6 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3 to 6 of the drawings, l represents any usualor suitable lamp housing or casing open on one side which I shall referto as the front side. Arranged within the housing is any usual orsuitable dish-shaped reflector 2 across the front of which is fitted alens 3; the reflector and lens being held to the casing by a ring orbezel 4. Carried by the reflector in any usual or suitable light bulb 5.

It will be seen that the reflector has the marginal portion thereofadjacent to the front edge flanged outwardly and laterally, as indicatedat 6. Between the flange 6 and the rear edge face or rim of the lens isa sealing and cushioning ring 1.

The reflector, lens and bezel are held together by means which maintainsa yielding clamping pressure on the sealing ringor gasket. In thearrangement shown, there is engaged with the central portion of thereflector, on the back side of the latter, a ring 8 cut from sheetmetal; the center of this ring coinciding with the axis of thereflector. A plurality of hooks 9, three in the example illustrated,project radially from the ring 8. Each of these hooks is received in aslot ill in one end of a link ll. Attached to the other end of each linkis a short tension spring 12 provided with an open ring or hook l4adapted to be engaged with an eye or perforated lug IS on the inner sideof the bezel just behind the flange 6 on the reflector. The parts are soproportioned that when the open rings or hooks M are interlocked withthe bezel they lie quite close to the flange on the reflector andserveas stops to prevent the reflector from being pushed back ifpressure is applied against the outer face of the lens. The springs, ofcourse, pull rearwardly on the bezel and forwardly on thering 8 which,in turn, presses the reflector forwardly; thereby causing the reflectorand the lens to be drawn together and exert a clamping pressure on thesealing ring or gasket between them.

In order to prevent the reflector from turningaboutv its axis,relatively to the bezel, the flange 6 thereof may be provided with alaterally-projecting lip 16 adapted to extend down into a little pocketor recess I! just' in front of one of the lugs or ears [5.

. When it is desired to take apart the unit just described, assumingthat it is separate from the casing, the ring 8 need only be pressedlaterally in the direction of one of the flexible ties, so as to releasethe tension on the spring in that tie; whereupon the link member ll ofthe tie may be lifted off the corresponding hook, The spring end of thattie may then be readily disengaged from the corresponding eye orperforated lug or ear on the bezel. This process is repeated with theother ties, whereupon the three main members of the unit are no longerheld together and the unit may be taken apart. T facilitate the shiftingof the ring 8 in the manner just described, I. provide it with ears [8each arranged diametrically opposite one of the hooks 9 and projectingrearwardly at right angles to the plane of the ring. When it is desiredto disconnect one of the ties one need only press against the earopposite the same and thus cause the ring to be shifted until the tiemay be unhooked from the ring. The ears l8 are preferably formedintegral with the ring, being fashioned simultaneously with the cuttingof the ring from the sheet metal.

The light emitting and distributing unit may be secured to the lampcasing in any suitable way. In the arrangement shown, the lamp casinghas at the open side a cylindrical marginal portion l9 upon which therear marginal portion of the bezel may be telescoped. At any suitablepoint, conveniently at that point which is lowermost when the lamp is inuse, the bezel is provided with a depression in the inner face thereof,as indicated at 20. In the arrangement shown, this depression is justbehind one of the eyes or perforated lugs 15. The cylindrical flange I9has struck therefrom a lip 2| that drops into the pocket or depression20 when the bezel is applied to the lamp casing by moving it upwardlyand rearwardly. After the bezel has been slipped over the cylindricalflange I9, the lip 2| being engaged in the pocket or recess 20, a.screw, such as indicated at 22, may be inserted through the bezelat apoint diametrically opposite the lip 2| and be engaged with a suitablestationary nut within the casing; such a nut being illustrated at 24 inthe modified construction of Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a construction in which the lens and thereflector are permanently united, so that the function of the bezel issimply to secure this particular unit to the casing. An arrangement ofthis kind is useful where a so-called sealed beam is desired; the userbeing required to obtain a new unit when the lamp burns out, therebyavoiding the danger of incorrectly positioning a new bulb in thereflector.

In this form of my invention, the reflector 25 has in addition to theflange 26 a relatively wide extension of this flange, which extension iscarried past the sealing ring or gasket 21 and over an. annular marginalportion of the front side or face of the lens, as indicated at 28. Thebase 29 of the electric bulb 30 extends through and is soldered to asleeve-like central rearward projection 3| onthe reflector.

The unit just described, comprising the reflector, the bulb and thelens, is secured in the bezel by means of the same flexible spiderdevice with its associated tension springs, as is the case with theother embodiment of the invention; the principal difference between thetwo embodiments residing in the manner of holding the light bulbs andsecuring the reflectors to their respective lenses.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, with a slight modification thereof, I donot desire to be limited to the exact structural details thusillustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms andarrangements which come within the definitions of my inventionconstituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a dish-shaped reflector, a lens extending across thefront of the reflector, a sealing gasket between the lens and the edgeface of the reflector, the rim of the reflector being flanged over themarginal portion of the lens to cause the gasket to be compressed, abezel engaged with the front side of the lens, an anchoring memberoverlying the center of the back side of the reflector, and a pluralityof tension springs connecting said anchoring member to pointsdistributed angularly of the bezel.

2. In combination, a dish-shaped reflector, a lens extending across thefront of the reflector, a sealing gasket between the lens and the edgeface of the reflector, the rim of the reflector being flanged over themarginal portion of the lens to cause the gasket to be compressed, abezel engaged with the front side of the lens, a ring overlying thecenter of the back side of the reflector, a plurality of flexible tiesincluding tension springs connected to said ring and leading to pointsdistributed angularly of the bezel, each tie having a quickly-detachableconnection with the bezel, and a rearwardly-projecting ear on said ringdiametrically opposite each of said ties.

NILS A. TORNBLOM.

